OCR Text

Lethbridge Herald, The (Newspaper) - April 13, 1972, Lethbridge, Alberta
r- ,-r-s LETHBRIDGE. VOL. 1. NO. 3 THURSDAY, APRIl 13, 1972 20 PAGES First beef carcass test released BY RIC SWIHART Herald Staff Writer The first official results of the federal government's beef carcass appraisal service from producer sale to slaughter were turned over to Dr. Cor- don Burton of Claresholm Sat- urday. Agriculture Minister Bud Ol- son presented the results in Calgary, including a set oC tho specially marked ear tags used in the program which was ini- tiated Jan. 10. The service is designed to give producers accurate infor- mation about carcass structure and quality of animals they had produced and then sold. The information allows the breeder to follow more closely the genetic factor of his herd and to make necessary culls to improve the overall quality. The service is straightfor- ward. The steps include: producer buys one appli- cator and a blue ear lag from the livestock division of the Catiada department of agricul- ture for each animal be wishes to follow through to slaughter, tag is put into the ear of the animal that will move to market. the cattle move through the packing plant, a federal health of animals branch in- spector removes the tag from the ear of the animals and at- taches it to the carcass, department's meat grader then records the car- cass data and sends it, with the tag, to Ottawa. match the tag number with the producer and send the information to him. Information in the service in- cludes the p 1 a c e of slaughter, date of slaughter, worm car- cass weight, quality grade, area of rib eye, fat measure- ment between the llth and 12th rib, marbling score and the ear tag number. The ear tag number allows the producer to match the data to the specific animal and with the use of records tell which sire and dam raised the spe- cific animal. Mr. Olson said the ani- mals entered in the program since it's conception has far ex- ceeded the division's fondest hopes. There have been animals en- tered from most parts of Can- ada, with the majority from Al- bert a. Dr. Gordon Burton checks program with Bud Olson Dr. Burton, past president of the Western Stock Growers As- sociation, had results frotl 40 animals entered the first time. He has an additional 30 ant- mats entered. The cost to the producer is per animal. Dr. Burton said he first read about the program in a farm magazine. Ife suggests thai the minimal cost is good because il confines the program to those who really want (he informa- tion. Dr. Burton said (he federal government has given the cat' tleniim two major things now which will help the industry, This carcass appraisal ser- vice and the new beef grading system which, will enable the producer to market tho type of animal the consumer wants will help (he livestock industry, he said. "With these, we'll be able to give (he chicken and hog men a run for their money." Mr. Olson said there has been no problems in the prac- tical aspect of applying this new program. Dr. Burton sug- gested the packing plants he praised for the additional work. "The packer gets nothing out of the program right now but iu the end he should get better he said. Dr. B u r t o n pointed to one definite advantage, "When a breeder starts to correlate tho results with the various breeds, he will know what crossbreeds are the best." Pioneer says it just ain't what it used to be Hv JUDE TURIC hand, there was no running hannenwl thrnnrfli rlnv nml nf Mvn n-ir- By JUDK TUHIC Herald Staff Writer It just ain't what it used to be down on the old farm. And Mrs. Frank Peterson can stand UD and tell you that, because she was a young farm wifo back "when going to town once a month was a luxury." "My husband and I started to farm IB miles southeast of she said, "and we had two sections of land." The Petersons moved to Can- ada in 1917, leaving their home in Spokane County, U.S.A. and coming north to "see what tha country was like." Her first home was a three room bouse with what she con- sidered conveniences ol times, "a good coal stove, and good land to work." Life for the farm wife con- sisted of making clothes for the children, cooking for the fami- ly, plus (he hired help, clean- ing and washing. Ihnd no modern appliances to help out hack sho snid, "and washing was done on on old fashioned scrub- board, dishes were all done by hand, there was no running water. "I had 10 children to look .said Mrs. Peterson, "and I did all their clothes up myself." Cooking took longer than it doos for thu modern farm wife, witlt a coal slove to be stoked, arid 10 ktds, a husband and hired help to prepare three meals for, was a real Daily activities started about 5 a.m., and earlier for the men, when she started breakfast. "I packed the kids off to school and started to get Umch ready about 10 a.m. and tho younger ones would take it to the men in the field, or if tho work wfis close, they would come in to she said. With lunch out of the way, nnd a half day to go, Mrs. Peterson was faced with clean- ing a 10 room house by hand, more cooking, more sewing, and baking bread for a largo family, all which didn't coma too easy. Evening was spent getting the children to bed, patching and mending the rips which through tbn day, and finishing iu time to go to sleep myself. "There wasn't much of a social said Mrs. Peterson. "It was too far to visit, so wo made our own amusement at home. "We spent our time er, worked together, played to- gether and were a close and happy family." Although farming was hard work, life was made somewhat more exciting with the coming of the car, and after her hus- band bought one, Pet- erson enjoyed going to Tabor to shop, and to "treat myself to the Saturday she said. "Life went by, and there was always something to sho said, "with butchering our meat, canning and salting it, and making our own good fresh cream. "I bought butter from a neighbor lady in 10 pound rolls every week, and paid ID cents a pound for it." Work on the farm was dona with horses and grain was taken into the elevators with "a team of horses, through snow drifted roads, and it was pretty cold in the winter time." The trip from the farm to Purple Springs took five hours. At 80, Mrs. Peterson looks back on those early years und smlingly says, "I didn't know a thing about farming, but wo were happy and content and thought a dollar a bushel was a good price." Maine-An jou females lop sellers Female stock of breeding led the way in tho new breeds sale which ended the 1972 Canadian Western Stock Show and Sale. Nine half-blood Maine-AnjV females averaged with the high seller contributed by Pine Tree Hancho of Neilburg, Srisk., going for to Triple V. Ranch of Crossfield. Thrco half-blood Mnin-Anjo.1 bulls av- eraged Charolais females brought tho next highest average at for 18 head while an e q u a 1 half-blood Main-Aiijou bulb av- agcd The individual high seller was a Limousin cross female enter- ed by Lynn Armistead of Ono- way and bought by Joseph Hochhausen of Edmonton for Twenty two Limousin cross females averaged Five Sim mental cross fejnalcsr were sold for a and three Simmenlal cross bulls made a average. Overall results demonstrated a good m a rkct for percenla go females of the nexv beef breeds but less interest in percentage hulls, likely because of the gen- eral availability of purebred bulls through artificial insemi- nation.
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